U.S. Meat Production: Protect Your Health and the Environment
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Transcript of U.S. Meat Production: Protect Your Health and the Environment
U.S. Meat Production: Protect U.S. Meat Production: Protect Your Health and the Your Health and the
EnvironmentEnvironment
Gretchen Miller, Project Coordinator Campaign for Safe Food
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
Oregon Physicians for Social Oregon Physicians for Social ResponsibilityResponsibility
National org. started in 1961by a group of physicians looking at the health effects of nuclear weapons.
Oregon chapter started in 1980
Expands beyond nuclear bombs/war – global warming, environmental health, Campaign for Safe Food
Campaign for Safe FoodCampaign for Safe FoodEstablished in 2003 – to advance
a sustainable food system that does not use genetic engineering.◦rBGH◦Biopharmaceuticals◦Sustainable Meat Production
GoalsGoals↑ awareness of problems
associated with the U.S. meat system
↓ negative health, environmental, and animal welfare impacts associated with meat production
↑ support for sustainable meat purchasing
Industrial Meat SystemIndustrial Meat System
•Large CAFOs make up only 5% of livestock operations but produce more than 50% of our food animals.
•A large CAFO operation contains more than 1,000 beef cattle, 2,500 hogs or 100,000 broiler hens.
VS.
Industrial Meat ProductionIndustrial Meat ProductionCAFOs/factory farms are where the
majority of meat comes from – 67% poultry and 42% pork
Done to produce the highest output at the lowest cost
Requires many inputs for economic viability (pesticides, antibiotics, feed, etc.)
Health - Antibiotic Health - Antibiotic ResistanceResistance
What is it? ◦Bacteria develop ability to withstand
the effects of certain antibiotics, making treatment difficult
Slide adapted from Keep Antibiotic’s Working. Antibiotic Resistance – An Emerging Public Health Crisis
Health – Antibiotic Health – Antibiotic ResistanceResistance
How does antibiotic resistance affect us?◦Monetarily: Estimated that resistant
infections cost $30+ billion annually◦Health: Resistant infections and illnesses
afflict millions each year Campylobacter, Salmonella, MRSA
Slide adapted from Keep Antibiotic’s Working. Antibiotic Resistance – An Emerging Public Health Crisis
Health - Antibiotic Health - Antibiotic ResistanceResistanceNon-therapeutic antibiotics:
◦ Administered in animal feed and water to compensate for poor living conditions and promote growth
◦ Antibiotics also enter feed through crops grown on soil fertilized with manure (human food exposure as well)
◦ Many of these drugs are the same or similar to what is used in human medicine
Health - Diet Related Health - Diet Related DiseaseDisease
Diets high in red and processed meat are associated with greater incidence of Type 2 diabetes and mortality from cancer and cardiovascular disease
Saturated fats ↑ cholesterol levels which ↑ risk of heart disease and stroke
Animals raised on grain fed diets may have more total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories and less Vitamin E, beta carotene, Vitamin C, and omega-3 fatty acids
Health Additional Health Additional ConcernsConcerns
Cloned Animals◦↑ antibiotics and hormones◦Few studies have looked directly at
food safety◦No long-term studies have looked at
food safetyGenetically Engineered Animals
◦Allergenicity◦Bioactive proteins/peptides◦Toxicity from novel protein
expression
Health Additional Health Additional ConcernsConcerns
Growth Hormones◦rBGH - ↑ antibiotic resistance,
possible increase in cancers◦6 other FDA approved steroid growth
hormones widely used in meat production that may interfere with human hormones such as estrogen and progesterone – increase cancer?
Endocrine disruptors
Environment – Global Environment – Global WarmingWarming
Livestock contribution◦Worldwide – 18% - more than all
transportation◦U.S. – 3-5% on farm
U.S. emissions come from enteric fermentation, manure management, and soil management
Environment – Global Environment – Global WarmingWarming
Effects of global warming:◦Drought:
Difficulties with accessing potable water Loss of agricultural crops - ↑ food prices Devastation to forests - ↑ wildfires
◦Rising Temps Heat related illness Endangered species
◦Flood Displacement Death
Environment - WaterEnvironment - WaterContamination
◦Nitrates and other nutrients, heavy metals, and antibiotics found in manure leak from lagoons, runoff from fields and contaminate water “Blue Baby Syndrome,” spontaneous
abortion, gastrointestinal problems “Dead zones” (Gulf of Mexico 5-8k
miles2 ) Fish kills
◦In just 22 states, 35,000 river miles polluted with animal waste
Environment - WaterEnvironment - WaterOveruse
◦Estimated that it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1lb. of meat It take only 25 gallons to produce 1lb. of
wheat
◦Irrigation for feed crops accounts for much of water use It takes 10 lbs. of grain to produce one lb.
of meat ~80% of grain (corn and soy) in U.S. goes
to livestock production
Environment – Land Environment – Land DegradationDegradation
Forests and native habitats are converted to crop and grazing land for animal feed
Unsustainable grazing practices lead to erosion
Environment – Genetic Environment – Genetic EngineeringEngineering
Genetically Engineered Animals:◦↓ in biodiversity from reproduction with
non-GE species (e.g., fish, insects, mice, etc.)
Genetically Engineered Crops for Feed:◦Contamination, “super weeds,” harmful to
beneficial insects, increased pesticide use 80% of corn and 92% soybeans planted in the
U.S. are genetically engineered 80% of corn and at least 50% of soybeans go to
livestock feed
Animal Welfare - CAFOsAnimal Welfare - CAFOsConfinement – Cannot act out
innate behaviors, unable to naturally mate, aggressive behaviors
Sanitation – Increase in disease (directly related to antibiotic resistance)
Animal Welfare – Cloned Animal Welfare – Cloned AnimalsAnimals
Cloned Animals:◦90%+ prenatal failure◦50% Large Offspring Syndrome (LOS)◦↑ rates of diabetes and heart
damage
Animal Welfare – Genetically Animal Welfare – Genetically Engineered Animals Engineered Animals
Genetically Engineered Animals:◦Variable/uncontrolled gene
expression - illness and death◦↑ in utero death, infertility,
developmental defects◦↑ diabetes and parasites
What Can You Do?What Can You Do?Reduce your meat consumption
◦Meatless Monday Abstaining from red meat one day a week
could result in a 4-5% decrease in GHG emissions related to food intake in avg. household.
What Can You Do?What Can You Do?Move meat off the center of your
plate/↓ portion sizes – USDA nutritional guidelines
$ saved can be used for increased fruit and vegetable consumption or purchasing sustainably raised meat.
What Can You Do?What Can You Do?Vote with your dollars:
◦Purchase sustainably produced meat – environmentally responsible, without antibiotics, humanely raised
◦Avoid products that are known to be GE or cloned
Sustainable OptionsSustainable OptionsThird Party Certified Labels
◦Organic, Food Alliance, Humanely Raised
USDA Approved Label Claims◦No hormones added, raised without
antibiotics, grass-fedLocal
◦Farmers’ markets, CSAs, U-Pick, etc.◦Make sure choices are sustainable
What Can You Do?What Can You Do?Educate others:
◦Friends, colleagues, students
Encourage change:◦Hospitals◦School Cafeterias◦Senior Centers◦Catered Events
What Can You Do?What Can You Do?Weigh in on the issues:
◦Submit comments on proposed rules◦Write to your congress person regarding
introducing or supporting legislation
Sen. Ron WydenSen. Jeff Merkely Rep. David WuRep. Greg WaldenRep. Earl
BlumenauerRep. Pete DeFazioRep. Kurt Schrader
Thank You!
Gretchen Miller, Project CoordinatorCampaign for Safe Food
Oregon Physicians for Social [email protected]: (503) 274-2720Cell: (503) 953-6804